


Arcana Code: Lily's Valley

by ochain_shield (sylph_of_eons)



Series: Three Houses: Arcana Code (5th Route) [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: AU: Arcana Code, Alternate Universe, Gen, Golden route, Hurt/Comfort, golden ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25753108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylph_of_eons/pseuds/ochain_shield
Summary: “Why?” Edelgard whispered.Flayn’s emerald eyes widened. “Pardon?”“Why...why are you doing this for me?” The former princess asked. “Don’t you hate me? I’m the reason why you and your brother have been on the run the past five years. Why are you being nice to me?”Flayn locked eyes with Edelgard and for the first time she felt like Flayn was...angry.
Relationships: Flayn & Edelgard von Hresvelg
Series: Three Houses: Arcana Code (5th Route) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1868173
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Arcana Code: Lily's Valley

Edelgard purposely averted her gaze from Flayn as the cleric began examining the wound on Edelgard’s arm.

Flayn was explaining the nature of the wound in great detail but Edelgard couldn’t quite make sense in part due in the searing pain of the cut and an active attempt to draw as little attention to herself as possible.

“Edelgard, are you listening?” The cleric said, her mouth curled in a frown.

Edelgard finally turned to look at Flayn, somewhat struck by how much Flayn sounded like how Seteth sounded like when scolding certain troublemaking students back at the academy.

“I-I’m sorry.” The woman quickly apologized. “I’m admittedly having trouble paying much attention.” 

Flayn smiled once more though it seemed uncharacteristically forced. “Ahem. I was telling you that you should probably avoid fighting for the next couple of weeks and let the wound heal on its own, but knowing how you are, that seems unlikely. Instead, I would recommend you at least avoid wearing heavy armor over that arm for the next several weeks.”

“But wouldn’t that leave the wound vulnerable in battle?” Edelgard asked.

Flayn sighed. “Yes, it would. Which is why I would prefer for you to stay out of battle for as long as possible, but knowing how stubborn you are-” The girl huffed. “Well, I’m trying my best to accommodate you.”

Edelgard watched hesitantly as Flayn’s piercing green eyes trailed down to the Caduceus Staff laying on the ground beside her as she picked it up.

“-Which, is also why I’m using the Saint’s staff for this.” Flayn began muttering a healing incantation and Caduceus Staff began humming with an ancient power.

Edelgard felt the searing sensation on her arm melt away, though as the spell ended, a sizable scrape still remained.

“Hm.” Flayn pouted, looking disappointed. “To think I used to be able to heal mortal wounds without any sign that there had been an injury at all! I’m losing my touch.” Still sulking, Flayn began to wrap a bandage around the patch of inflamed flesh.

“Why?” Edelgard whispered.

Flayn’s emerald eyes widened. “Pardon?”

“Why...why are you doing this for me?” The former princess asked. “Don’t you hate me? I’m the reason why you and your brother have been on the run the past five years. Why are you being nice to me?”

Flayn locked eyes with Edelgard and for the first time she felt like Flayn was...angry.

“I don’t know.” Flayn mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. “Logically I should. Rhea did.” The cleric’s breath hitched. “Since the moment of your betrayal at the Holy Tomb, Rhea was...defined by a righteous rage pointed at you. My brother was too, but...over time it felt like he was almost more angry at Rhea, as strange as that sounds.”

Edelgard scoffed. “I’ll admit...that's the impression I’ve started to get too.” The woman paused. “But I wasn’t asking about Rhea or Seteth. I was asking about you. Do you hate me?”

Flayn’s gaze drifted away as her frown became deeper. “I always admired you as a student. You were always so smart and mature in ways I never was. When you brought the Empire to the Holy Tomb, I was so furious with you. The Monastery has been my first real home in a long time and I hated you for taking that away from me.”

The Monastary was my home too. Edelgard wanted to blurt out, but kept her mouth shut.

“But in that last month leading to the Empire’s attack-” Flayn began fiddling with her hair. “I saw what Rhea became. That’s when I realized; the Rhea I knew had been gone from long before your arrival at the Academy. I started questioning if the things Rhea was organizing and practicing aligned with the original teachings of the Goddess. And what I realized is-” The green-haired girl scowled. “It didn’t. The Church as it was then was causing suffering. I never said any of this to my brother.”

Edelgard just stared solemnly at Flayn for several seconds.

“Flayn.”

The cleric looked at her.

The former princess took a deep breath. “There’s something you need to know. I helped organize the plot to kidnap you.”

Flayn glared icily at her. “I know.”

Edelgard’s jaw dropped. “You do? I-” The woman’s face fell into her hands. “By gods, of everything I ever did I regretted that the most.”

Flayn’s mouth slightly twitched. “And why is that?” She asked presumptively. 

Edelgard dragged her hands down and off of her face. “Because that’s why I realized.” The woman straightened her posture. “That was why I realized the Agarthans wouldn’t help me. I knew the Agarthans wanted you for your blood, just how they wanted me.”

Flayn raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.

Edelgard raised her non-injured arm and gingerly removed the glove from its hand revealing long surgical scars tracing down to her elbow. “The Agarthans took me when I was young in order to implant me with another Crest, and yet-” The woman almost half-hazardly dragged the glove back over her hand. “I knew exactly what they would do to you, and yet I did nothing. I didn’t even think about it.” Edelgard retracted her arm and turned away. “I thought that you were some monster. I thought you didn’t deserve my sympathy.”

Flayn sat there, her face blank like a stone. “And what do you think of me now?”

“I don’t know what you are.” Edelgard replied, her eyes clouded. “But I know a few things: for starters, a monster wouldn’t spend most of her time helping people if she didn’t feel something for them. She also wouldn’t take time to question her beliefs if she didn’t have any reason to grow.”

“The Church still did horrible things. Some of which I’m not even aware of.” Flayn said quietly. “Even though I didn’t cause personal harm to others I still spent most of my time upholding a system that ruined so many lives. I was at least partially responsible.” 

Edelgard looked at the girl in horror. “You...think you deserved to have gone through everything you went through?”

Flayn shrugged again, her eyes darkened. 

“Flayn...You still suffered under the Church. Like everybody else.”

Flayn looked at Edelgard, seeming completely bewildered. “..What?”

“Before you came to the Monastery…” Edelgard began. “You and your brother were practically in hiding because of your Crests.”

Flayn blinked. “Yes, we were.”

Edelgard hesitantly scoffed. “I mean, it’s not hard to see why. Even excluding kidnapping, since both you and your brother happened to have two, unique Major Crests, at the very least, the both of you would be drowning in suitors.”

Flayn suddenly laughed, kicking her legs across. “Oh I wish! I’d take being hounded by suitors any day over my brother chasing away any male that looks at me!”

Edelgard chuckled. “To be fair, I can’t say your brother is wrong for being wary of any man that makes advances towards you. Besides, being a widow and a holy man, it’s not like he wouldn’t turn down any advance towards him either!”

Flayn raised a hand to her face and laughed even louder. “Oh certainly! I can hardly even imagine the lengths he would go to avoid dealing with the embarrassment!”

Edelgard laughed again before a frown returned to her face. “I...so we have more similar feelings about the Church than I originally thought, but I still hurt you.”

“You did.” Flayn admitted. “But...I still believe in you.”

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. “Believe in me?”

“Yes.” Flayn nodded. “Even though you yourself don’t think it...I still don’t think you're as much at fault to what happened to me as you think you are.”

“How so?” Edelgard said, confused.

“Because you were a product of your environment, just like I was.” Flayn looked over her shoulder. “I think most people start interpreting themselves as monsters once they live long enough; after they’ve made enough mistakes. As the mistakes begin to pile up you begin to wonder if you can ever break the cycle, or if those mistakes even were mistakes to begin with. Once you start thinking that you might start thinking that it's a part of your nature, and it can’t be corrected. That alone is completely demoralizing.”

“But I don’t think people are beyond changing.” Edelgard interjecting. “I refuse to believe that people are incapable of moving beyond their environment.”

“Hm.” Flayn hummed. “Do you think that’s different from growing despite one’s environment?”

“That-” Edelgard paused in contemplation. “Yes. I do think there's a difference. In my experience, even by growing despite your environment, the environment doesn’t change, which means that even where you’ve managed to succeed-”

“Someone else is still likely to fail.” Flayn concluded.  
“Yes.” Edelgard nodded. “But by moving or changing one's environment-”

“That might give other people a better chance, right?” Flayn said, smiling.

“That's the idea. But I’ve had my fair share of hardships even making that possible.” Edelgard answered.

“But that's still something worth striving for.” Flayn smiled confidently.

Edelgard smirked. “Yes. You’re quite right.”

Edelgard began moving to get up before Flayn stopped her.

“Oh that’s right!” The cleric gasped. “I still have to finish dressing your arm!”

Edelgard settled herself back in her chair as Flayn finished tying the bandages around her arm.

“There you are! Don’t forget what I said about wearing heavy armor!” The cleric stated.

“I won’t.” Edelgard stood up and bowed her head. “Thank you, Flayn.”

Edelgard began heading out the door before Flayn stopped her one last time.

“Wait!”

Edelgard looked at the cleric.

“The reason I trust you, Edelgard, is because the day the Empire arrived at Garreg Mach and you weren’t there - I knew. I knew that you changed your mind.” Flayn explained. “I...don’t know what will happen if we find Rhea, but I will defend you. No matter what she says, I’m going to keep believing in you...and myself.”

Edelgard smiled. “Thank...Thank you Flayn.” 

Edelgard jerked her head around as she heard Dimitri calling for her down the hallway.

“Better not keep your brother waiting.” Flayn said in a sing-song voice.

Edelgard smirked. “Of course not. Thank you again, Flayn.”


End file.
